The invention relates to a hydrogenation catalyst, a method for making the catalyst, and a hydrogenation process utilizing the catalyst, wherein the catalyst has desirable physical characteristics.
Hydrogenation processes are used for processing various hydrocarbon feedstocks to obtain desirable products. Such processes utilize a catalyst to direct the reaction toward the desired products. The catalyst must be capable of withstanding the operating conditions of the process without rapidly losing effectiveness.
Numerous types of reactors can be used for carrying out the hydrogenation reaction. One type is known as an ebulliating bed reactor. An ebulliating bed reactor is characterized by a vessel containing a bed of the catalyst through which the feedstock is passed, typically from the bottom toward the top of the reactor. This results in a bed of the catalyst suspended in the medium and subjected to continuous collisions. The catalyst itself remains inside the reactor.
One problem encountered in the art with ebulliating reactors is the attrition rate of the catalyst contained in the reactor. That is, the catalyst tends to break down to smaller particles or fines after any significant amount of use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,093 to Rivas et al. is drawn to a hydrogenation catalyst, and utilizes a process which produces spherical catalyst bodies that have good process properties and are resistant to attrition. Even greater improvements in the activity, heat dissipation and attrition resistance of the catalyst are of course desirable.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a catalyst system wherein the catalyst particles are resistant to attrition.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a catalyst having good heat dissipation properties so as to assist in dissipating heat generated by the exothermic hydrogenation reaction.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a catalyst system which has excellent activity and selectivity toward desirable hydrogenation reactions for converting a carbon monoxide feedstock to C2+ hydrocarbons.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.